Edward samuel



2 Sheets-Sheet 1..

(No. Model.)

B. SAMUEL. METHOD oF TRBATING METAL.

No. 333,439.` Patented Feb. 16, 1333;

W @MM (No Model.) v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. E. SAMUEL. METHOD 0F TREATINGMETAL.

No. 336.439. Patentedreb. 16,;886.

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` the'invention.

' l"furnace, as show 'UNITED STATES! PATENT OFFICE,- j

METHOD oF TRE ATING METALS.

sPEcIPIcA'rIoN forming 'pare of Lez-ters Patent No. 336,439, ma February1s, 188e.

Application (leid April 550, 1885.'

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD SAMUEL, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, have invented an 5 Improved Method of Treat-ing Metals, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention consists of certain improvements in the treatment of molteniron, steel, or similar metals for converting, refining, or purifyingthe metal, as fully described and claimed hereinafter.

My method of treatment consists in causing` the molten metal to flowfromacupola; smelting or reducing furnace, in a wide thin stream or sheetthrough an unobstructed chamber, and directing lagainst the front orrear face of this sheet of molten metal a `finely-divided blast of airor other gases, in ord'erto cnt through the metal at as many points asmay be' desired, in order to insure the subjectionofV V the entirestream of metal'to the action of the blasts of air or other-gases.

My invention may be carried' out in'j'dierent forms of apparatus; but inthe accompany ing drawings I have illustrated constructions of apparatuswhich I prefer to use.

Figure 1 is avertical-section-of one ofthe apparatus. Fig. 2 is'avertical section ontheline 1 42, h`,ig. 1,- and Fig. 3, 3o asimpler formo f apparatus'.4 for `carrying out :Referring toFig. 1,' A'is; thecupola, melting or reducing furnace, iufwhich the ore, pig, or metal inother form'is reduced to a molten conditi'on. .This furnace may-be ofany deredor suitable construction, and'inthe drawings I have shown anordinary cupola provided withltuyeres a aud-an outlet, a, through whichand the conduit b the molten metal may flow-into the refining-furnace.This reiiningfurnace, as shown in' Fig. 1, consists, essen` tially, of aseries of pools, -B B B-three in z the present instance-arranged one inadvance of and low the other, and below the last one of the series is areceiving ladle or crncible,'l0', having a removable cover, c, andtapping' or discharge out-let. c. This crucible or ladle may itself bemovable and detachable from` the* n 4inlig. 3.

B forms the bottom of a and sidewalls are a 5o Each pool B B'f chamberwhose rear wallL material, which can a sectional .'view of .p

'with a valved lloppe dropped i In the back Serial N0. 162,809. (Nomodel.)

part of the body of the structure, while the inclosingor front wall Iprefer to malein one or more removable parts, D, which can be lifted 0Ethe supports o by any suitable means, so that ready access may be had tothe interior of the furnace for purposes of repair. In the presentinstance I have shown the entire 'front of all the retining-chambersV asmade in one piece, with a 60 metallic frame lined with any properrefractory materialv The bottom of each pool B B B2 may be made of aseparable tile or block of suitable replaced whenb'urned out on liftingthe inclosing-cover D; or it may be danbed up to its, proper lines, inthe manner usual in forming bridge-walls of furnaces.' The front edge ofeach of these po hanging ledge, b2, from which the rear wall of thechamber below recedes, for the purpose 'explained hereinafter'.

Into the rear Wall of cach chamber below the first one are built rothree rows for eacli chamberbeing illustrated in the drafwings, and-these three rows communicate with a common blast-box, F', having aregulatingyalve, f. Eachfrow` of tuyeres is one or more of the tuyeres.

Iprefer to combine with each set of tuyeres a device for supplyingpowdered lmaterial to be blown into the molten vmetal through the ,85said tuyeres intermixed with the blast, and for this purpose the rows oftuyeres are interrupted in front of the blast-box by a commonmixing-chamber, G, provided as its upper end r,'g'r and at with a door,g', for other device admitting ofjf 'the removal of any material whichmayfhave past the myers-openings, so that when desired the valve may beopened-and the material be allowed to drop into the chnm- 95 ber' G,where it is caught by tho blasts of air and carried thereby through thetuycres into the purifyinghambcn 'l part of each blast-box I provide 4aglazed opening, y h rows of tuyeres, for the purpose of enabling theoperator vto watchthe entire procs with'- n the main structure '55 bereadily removed and 65 ws o f tuyeres E E' E, 75

rovided with'independent sliding-gates e, to 8o regulate or cut 0H thesupply of air from any g', in line-with one of the :oo

llO

e assess outdanger, and I also provide openings with l suitable covers,whereby any one or all of the tuyeres may be cleansed.

At the bottom of each of the pools B B B2 are provided in one of theside walls tappingholes h, for testing the metal at different stages, ordrawing it off, and at suitable distances ,above the bottom are otheropenings, h', for the the top cover at any convenient part thereof.

These exit-fines. z may communicate with or opc'i into ehinineyslornflues, as is common kin the ordinary Bessemer process.

The molten metal from the cupola, melting or reducing furnace A., flowsinto the rst pool, B, where it collects until it flows over its frontledge, b2, in a wide thin stream or sheet, into and through the irstpurifying-chamber to the pool at the bottom thereof. In the passage ofthe sheet of metal through this chamber, which is unobstructed, dividedblasts of air or gas from one or more of the rows of tuyeres, .at anydesired pressure, are directed against the rear facefof the sheet orstream of metal, so that these divided blasts will cut through the sheetof molten metal at as many points as may-befound necessary for thedesired edect. These divided blasts thus directed against the face ofthe sheet of falling metal will permeate `-the latter in a way whichcannot be effected by an undivided blast, or one directed against theedge of the sheet of metal, or where the, metal itself is divided. 'Ihecharacter of the gases introduced through the tuyeres will vary with thenature of the metal to he treated and the result to be produced. In someeases carbonic acid or carbonicoxide or hydrogen or atmospheric air, orany of the gases commonly employed in the treatment of iron and steelmay be employed. lIn order that the metal which may beblown against thefront' Wall of the `chamber shall fall into the pool of that chamber,this `front wall is within the line of the pool, or, in other words, isbehind the overhanglng edge of the pool into which it falls,

as shown in Fig. 1.` rlhe metal thus treated in the irst chamber, andwhich collects in the pool B', then begins to flow in a similar widethin sheet or stream over its front edge down into and through the rstpurifying-chamber, where further divided blasts of air or gases aredirected against the rear face of thesheet of molten metal, if foundnecessary, and thence the metal flows into the collecting-chamber C,from which it may be tapped in the usual way, or the vessel itself maybe removedW and the metal poured directly into molds provided.

Owing to the construction of the ehambeisV with inclined or recessedrear walls, as shown, so that the front edge of the pool immediatelyabove overhangs the rear wall, the tuyeres are not liable to be impairedby the molten metal coming in contact with them.

Referring to Fig. 3, I have shown an apparatus of simpler form, A beingthe cupola, and b the conduit. Zf" is the edge over which the metalflows in a thin sheet into the ladle or Crucible C, the blast-box Fbeing under the edge b2, and having a series of perforations. 1 havealso shown the ladle C removable in this View.

The method of treatment as carried out in this apparatus also' issimilar to that above 1 described--that is to say, 'the metal flowsthrough an unobstructed chamber in awide thin; sheet, and divided`blasts of air are directed against the face of the sheet to insure theeective treatment. of the molten metal.

I am aware ofthe patent of Martien, No.'

16,690, dated February 24', 1857; but in the apparatus there shown themetal is allowed to flow along the perforated bottom of an inclinedtrough, so that the blast has not proper access to the metal, as in myprocess, and the bottom of the trough becomes burned out and itsperforations choked up. F

I claim as my invention-- The method herein described of treatingvmolten, metals to convert, refine, or purify them, said methodconsisting in causing the unobstructed chamber, and directing againstthe front or rear face of. this sheet of falling molten .metal-dividedblasts of air or gases, substantially as described..

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWI). SAMUEL.-

Witnesses: f

W. Jl. BURNs, HARRY SMITH: p

molten metal to fallin a thin sheet through an

